What Had Been Lost
by ryoku1
Summary: The Battle of Hong Kong, 1941.


What Had Been Lost

September 1941

The waves ushered in the approaching British vessels. Hong Kong could feel the slight festering of relief at the sight; it had been a mystery of sorts if England would come, but Hong Kong had known. England would come. His island was no longer completely defenseless to the Japanese occupying Guangzhou just a short distance away. The ships where a relief, though as comforting as they where, the facts of the situation had not changed. Just a few variables that the island colony doubted would change his fate. Defenseless he was no longer, but the shift made little difference. England would help, always did - or at least tried to - but his guardian was already quite spent on this war. The man power to defend the island was something that England could not offer, and dared not lose so readily. So Hong Kong would take what was granted, and be more then grateful to his sovereignty for the much needed support. Eventually Japan would come, over run him, massacre his people; take the crowns port as his own. That fate was for the future, and would be dealt with all too soon. For now, Hong Kong stood tall, a proud colony under Great Brittan; he would fight to the death for their cause and his own.

The colony could not help but think that the purpose behind England's reinforcements were some form of obligation he felt towards the island. In all honesty it didn't really matter, Hong Kong would have fought with or without European intervention. Despite this fact, as the ships sailed into his embrace, Hong Kong felt the imminent fear within him subside, if only for a short reprieve.

The ships took to port, unloading their cargo – machine guns, a few heavy artillery cannons, and bullets, oh so many bullets – and their soldiers marched onto his land, prepared to serve their country, as Hong Kong was. England himself followed shortly after, his steps heavier and less lively then Hong Kong remembered them, searching the port till his green eyes found the Asian.

The colony stood straight, poised, and with infinite amounts of dignity - as China had taught him a life time before - that Hong Kong knew he did not poses, his head held high despite his poor physical and mental condition. The two stared at one another for a moment, England on his vessel, Hong Kong on his dock, before England made his way off of the ship. His face had aged considerably, harder, the edges more pronounced then Hong Kong had ever seen. A dark look was on the European's face, a sign that Hong Kong should also be worried. The colony could not blame his master for the uncertain future that awaited, this was going to hurt for the both of them.

The blond nation made his way off the ship and to the smaller. It was only as England got closer, did Hong Kong realize he was shaking. It was only slight tremors, anyone that wasn't paying attention would not have noticed. But England knew. England understood that Hong Kong would not come out of this unscathed, understood that Hong Kong was doomed to enemy occupation. Hong Kong would not hold.

England understood most things.

Before reaching Hong Kong, the European stopped, and for a moment they just stared at each other again, knowing all that needed to be said, and at the same time, knowing that all would remain unsaid.

It was Hong Kong that finally broke the silence, rushing forward to embrace England in a rare show of affection. The colony wasn't sure if England was surprised, or had expected the action. Whatever the case, Hong Kong needed this comfort, and for a long time refused to let go.

England returned the embrace, whispering sounds of encouragement as Hong Kong realized he was crying.

The ports residents kept moving, hardly even noticing the display of raw emotion, but even if they had gawked, it didn't matter. England was here, even if the other nation couldn't stay for long, couldn't protect his own colony, England was here, for now, and that had to count for something.

November 1941

England had stated that he would remain with Hong Kong for as long as possible, meaning that when all was lost, England would be gone. Off to different shores to face a common enemy. The thought was not as bitter as Hong Kong had imagined it to be. England was important, Hong Kong was not. England could not be taken as a prisoner of war, it was that simple. So when all was lost, Hong Kong would say farewell to his guardian, and any faint hope that things would turn out differently. Their time together was limited.

About mid November another reassurance came to his doorstep. Canada and some of his men landed at Hong Kong's port on the 16th. They where ill prepared, and lacking in supplies, but Hong Kong welcomed them with open arms.

When England left for greener pastures, Canada would stay. The thought gave Hong Kong some hope that their resistance would last longer then a few days. Even though England would not – could not – stay, Canada would, and they would both fight, even if there was no hope of victory.

It was surprising how well the two loyal subjects of the crown got along. Hong Kong was quite happy to meet an ally of England's, especially one considered so highly as a son, and Canada was intrigued by Hong Kong's blend of Asian and western cultures.

The two spent nights together in the trenches, conversing on any matter that happened to spark their fancy.

Canada was cheerful, happy to help, and quite dedicated to the cause. His whole mannerisms where in stark contrast to the gloomy mood Hong Kong found himself stuck in most of the time, and the island couldn't help being effected by the older nations exuberance and vigor.

As first, Hong Kong wasn't sure if Canada was aware that he had been sent to a death trap. Neither of them would escape unharmed, but the colony decided that it didn't much matter if Canada knew. They where both stuck, and Canada's moods always brought a small smile to Hong Kong's face, so the subject remained untouched.

England, on the other hand, was quite aloof. Either receiving reports from the motherland, or keeping guard in the trenches; the master and his servant had hardly spoken since the arrival. It distressed Hong Kong to no end. This could possibly be the last chance the two had to talk - a pastime they had started perfecting as both matured - and all their opportunities were laid to waste. Hong Kong wanted to speak earnestly with the blond, to confide his fears, to come to terms with the reality that faced him, but England would have none of it. The European avoided the subject at every available opportunity.

But as it pained Hong Kong to suffer in silence, he did just that, choosing not to initiate. These things would remain unsaid between them both, because though Hong Kong could except his fate, England could not.

10 December 1941

The Gin Drinkers Line was gone. Before it the Kai Tak Airport – bombed before their planes ever left the strip. America had finally joined the war, but far too late to be of any help to Hong Kong. The irony was not lost on him. America, fresh, ready, and willing to enter the war was too far from the island to make any difference, and England, hurt, tired, and weary, still trying to defend what he could not continue to be his.

Things would only get worse. It was time to see off England.

The fact that England didn't want to leave was unsurprising. The fact that England was, and had to leave was of the utmost importance and Hong Kong was going to see that England and his battleships where well on their way to Singapore, where reality was kinder, if even a little.

So with the breaking of the Gin Drinkers Line, Hong Kong escorted the European down to the docks, and it was only then that the magnitude of the situation fully registered to the nation, and England collapsed on the hard ground of the docks, his hand slipping from Hong Kong's grip to violently beat on the ground. Tears where in England's eyes, and his voice changed rapidly from angry shouts, to whimpering pleas. The body that Hong Kong had always considered the strongest in all the world, was shaking violently in the cold of the December evening.

There where no words of condolence, nothing that would make it all better, so Hong Kong averted his eyes, giving his sovereignty as much dignity as was possible. Finally the desperate voice stopped, and all that remained was the sound of the other nations tears as he raised his hand, now bruised and bloody, to grasp Hong Kong's which was equally dirty and scared.

The hold was loose and shaky, hesitance evident as England traced his hand up and down each finger on the islands hand, before settling to simply grasp the other lightly.

"….I'm sorry…."

It was more of a croak then anything, soft and haggard. An apology for some great sin, when Hong Kong had not been wronged. The island knew that his master would take this badly, had prepared himself for this moment, but nothing was said. All the words that could have, should have come forth where left, and silence reigned supreme as England boarded his ships, and sailed away, Hong Kong watching as they disappeared into the sea.

Would he ever be able to say all that he meant? If given another opportunity, would Hong Kong have spoken all the words that had refused to surface? He doubted it. For perhaps silence was enough. Just being there for someone when they where most vulnerable was enough. Just listening to someone cry meant you could understand their pain. But most of all, if there was nothing said, there would never truly be a good bye.

--

19 December 1941

Fierce fighting had continued for nine days, longer then Hong Kong had ever expected his struggle to last. The possibility of an upheaval was nil, but their chances had never been greater, so strangely, Hong Kong was in relatively high spirits. Air raids and artillery bombardments had been the extent of the fighting for a few days now. The reprieve in actually having to confront Japan face to face was a relief, for no matter how prepared Hong Kong was to be handed over to the island nation, reality dictated that there would be no mercy when the time came. The colony's only real hope was England on a distant shore, waging a war that could only be won with major losses. Hong Kong knew he would be one of those losses, but in the larger scheme of things, he only hoped that things would turn out for the best, and in that hope, he had fought hard to keep his island, if only to buy England a few more days.

But on the evening of the 18th, Hong Kong knew his illusions of comfort were over. He had woken that night, sweat pouring down his face and breathing labored, unable to continue sleeping, knowing full well that  
Japan had set foot on his domain.

Under the cloak of darkness and rain, they would remain silent till morning, but the reality was unchanged. The colony's illusions of lasting much longer were dashed, and for the rest of the evening he sat shaking, wide eyed. He couldn't sleep.

The morning brought what Hong Kong had feared most, massacre. No one was aware that they had landed, and even if Hong Kong had been able to pinpoint their location, it wouldn't have done any good. 6:00 am came with drastic consequences for Hong Kong, and his inhabitants.

First it was unbridled terror, from miles away – eyes closed- he saw them breaking into the Selesian Mission, and by the look of them, Hong Kong knew that most of the patients wouldn't survive. Stabbing pain in his head and neck erupted shortly after, and he flailed violently trying to defend himself from the vicious blows. It was only when Canada came to restrain him that Hong Kong realized that it was not him being shot, stabbed, and slashed into pieces. It was miles away, but far to close.

The end was in sight.

25 December 1941

His throat ached from the unquenched thirst that had persisted since the 20th when Japan had seized the reservoirs. There had been little to drink since then. After five days Hong Kong was ready to claw out his throat to ease its suffering, but the fear of death kept him from such drastic measures.

Long gone where the days when he was calm, collected, and prepared to fight. This battle was no longer about success, or even buying England more time, that affair had come and passed. The force that motivated Hong Kong now was survival.

After the landing the colony had not slept much, and as the killing continued on his soil, he had somewhat hardened to the persistent bullets and bayonets that where piercing, ripping, and slashing flesh that was not his own, yet far too real to not be his own. The island had more pressing matters to content with. Hong Kong could already feel Japan's hands snaked around his neck, fingers flexing and tightening as the days continued. When exactly they had firmly grasped him, the island did not know, all he could do was struggle against the grip, kicking screaming and clawing to stay alive.

There was no more glory, sacrifice or logic; with the struggle to survive, they all where of little importance any more. Hong Kong wanted to live.

It was around mid day that the pressure reached its climax, and Hong Kong went limp, still conscious, but barely alive. The ordeal was over, and as darkness threatened to over take him the fingers were released, and Hong Kong fell in a heap on the cold wet earth, unable to move.

His eyes were open, blood shot and starting to blur when his gaze trailed over to Japan. The nation had turned his back to the crumpled heap and had started walking in the opposite direction – almost as if he was wiping himself clean of his actions - before turning his head to look once more at Hong Kong.

"You were lucky the British officials handed you over. A few more minutes and you would have died"

The words rang hollow, and Japan continued moving. As the other island escaped his view, Hong Kong thought of England, what had been lost, and what had been gained. He wondered if his life had been worth 17 days - 17 days of sheer hell – but as his consciousness faded he realized none of it mattered. Japan was just another master, and England was gone.

--

Authors Note: The Battle of Hong Kong started on the 8th of December 1941, and ended on Christmas day of the same year. Keeping the island had never been a priority, or even a possibility to England. The objective was to hold off Japan for as long as possible, and considering that the forces on Hong Kong had horrible odds (14,000 British, Canadian, and Hong Kong volunteers against 52,000 Japanese troops), no aerial equipment (all of their planes where bombed by Japan on the first day of the conflict), practically no naval assistance (all British fleets where ordered out of Hong Kong and to Singapore) and no chance of reinforcements, Hong Kong did amazingly well. They lasted a total of 17 days under conditions that gave them no advantage what so ever. For Japan's part, they demanded surrender on two separate occasions (the 13th and 17th) before assaulting the island. Between the 19th and 25th there was much chaos. Troops that surrendered to Japan where for the most part systematically killed instead of being taken as Prisoners of War, and there area few events in which Japanese troops stormed Missions and Hospitals killing as many wounded soldiers as they could.

The line "You were lucky the British officials handed you over. A few more minutes and you would have died" is in reference to an actual quote. On the day of the 25th Japanese stormed a British field hospital at St Stephens College, killed most of the injured soldiers, and raped the women volunteers and nurses. It is not mentioned about the Chinese, but three of the British nurses survived only because of the surrender later that day, and where told as much by a Japanese officer. I thought it appropriate to use the line.

All information obtained through Wikipedia and Charles G. Rolands article "Massacre and Rape in Hong Kong: Two Case Studies Involving Medical Personnel and Patients" available in the Journal of Contemporary History Vol. 32, Jan 1997

While I don't have much faith in Wiki, the second source is credible, which makes me feel at least a little better about this piece.

Thank you so much for reading. I would be very happy if you left a comment and told me your opinions on the piece. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoyed it.


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